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The Wi-Fi-connected My Friend Cayla doll could be used by hackers to spy on children, so has been banned in Germany with parents advised to destroy the to ( Genesis )

A German watchdog is warning parents about the possible breach of their child’s privacy for those who play with the Wi-Fi-connected smart doll, My Friend Cayla.

They advise parents to destroy the doll

The Federal Network Agency, an official telecommunications watchdog in Germany known as Bundesnetzagentur, issued a warning on Friday about the smart doll, revealing that hackers can listen in and even talk to the child through the toy’s insecure Bluetooth connection.

The Cayla doll has been removed from the market and banned, marked as an illegal “concealed transmitting espionage device.” The doll had to be pulled from shelves because according to German law, it is illegal to sell a banned surveillance device.

The same law says also makes it illegal to possess a surveillance device, with those breaking this law risking serving up to two years in jail.

But households who purchased the doll won’t be penalized for having the now illegal device. Instead, the German watchdog is advising parents to destroy it.

Manufactured by Genesis Toys, My Friend Cayla is the interactive toy that can talk and play games with the child. The Wi-Fi-enabled doll connects to the Internet via Bluetooth to be able to answer question asked by the child, responding via microphone.